A camera-built-in type VTR, which is an example of an information recording apparatus is described. In the conventional method of image shooting with the camera-built-in type VTR, a user in charge of image shooting, in order to set up various functions of the camera-built-in type VTR, reads set data from a non-volatile semiconductor memory incorporated in a main body of the VTR or memory card set in the VTR main body and operates input keys provided in an image pickup unit or the like of the camera-built-in type VTR to thereby input the set data. The data read from the non-volatile semiconductor memory incorporated in the VTR main body and memory card set in the VTR main body and the set data inputted with the input keys are temporarily retained in a memory of a microcomputer in the VTR main body so that instructions are issued to signal processing units and driving units based on the set data. This is how the apparatus is set up in the conventional technology.
The image shooting in the described set up condition, however, sometimes undergoes recording abnormality when abnormal data is set or no data is set in the signal processing units due to disturbances, for example, a temporary contact failure of a connector or the like resulting from, for example, static electricity, cosmic ray, magnetic field, vibrations or the like.
In the conventional technology, means for recording such recording abnormality on a recording medium as an error information was a known art, which was, for example, disclosed in No. 2001-109030 of the Publication of Unexamined Patent Applications.
In the case of the known art, the occurrence of the recording abnormality can be identified from recorded details of the recording medium, however, there was no measure to inform when the recording abnormality occurred and in which signal processing unit it occurred.
In the conventional technology, therefore, when the recording abnormality occurred as described, there was no record on which circuit was responsible for the recording abnormality and which operation caused the abnormal set values. Because of the absence of such record, the causes were investigated based on the user's memory, which made it difficult to analyze the causes of the recording abnormality and therefore took a long time to trace them down.
It is an option to arrange an exclusive abnormality detecting means for detecting the occurrence of the recording abnormality, for example, by providing different kinds of sensors in the signal processing units or the like. However, to provide such the exclusive abnormality detecting means leads to an increase of cost, the apparatus in a larger size and more power consumption. From the aspect of the foregoing problems, it has been desirable that an information recording apparatus capable of simply detecting the recording abnormality is made available.
Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide an information recording apparatus capable of simply and quickly analyzing the causes of the recording abnormality in response to the occurrence of such.